One more light
by sandmanslullaby
Summary: They saw brilliance as the world fell asleep. Together, they discover the truth behind the stars, and experience what makes first loves unforgettable. Modern AU. Collection of Interconnected One-shots.
1. The beginning of the end

**_In a sky of a million stars_**

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 ** _Who cares if one light goes out?_**

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The beginning of the end

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 _Where did it all go wrong?_

They stood by the front door from the inside of his apartment. Sakura's suitcase sat by her side as unspoken words hung between them.

But Itachi held on.

He tried to reassure her that everything would be alright. That he loved her and that she loved him, and that it was enough. But even he couldn't stop the nauseating anxiety from growing within him when he asked, "...We love each other, right?" For only for silence to greet him.

Still, he held on.

Sakura had her eyes closed, but she did not push him away when he reached out for her. Itachi brushed away matted strands of hair, caressing her cheek in familiar manner. She took in a broken breath, and he paused his ministrations when her felt shoulders shake. Then his gaze fell downward, following a fresh trail of tears that streamed down stormy. Turbulent green eyes screamed at him in wordless accusation.

Only after wiping away the last tear away did he step away.

 _"You don't have to carry your burdens alone,"_ she had said.

 _"And I'll never leave you behind,"_ he had promised back.

Never. The promise of 'never' had seemed so easy back then. But time is a slippery thing, and fate its fickle mistress.

Would he have done something to prevent this? Would he change their beginning if it meant rewriting their end?

Then Itachi remembered.

He remembered their first meeting— how he spent it counting the number of times he could get her to blush with just a look. He remembered her joy when she got her license after weeks of teaching her. Her shy smile whenever he called her beautiful. Her jade eyes, glinting with mischief whenever she hid his hairband, leaving his hair unbound for her small hands to run through.

He remembered the quiet moments stolen in the back of his car — no words exchanged when their hands and lips professed the secrets in their hearts.

Memories flooded his mind, flashing lucidly, all in vivid color and a whirl of sensations.

Itachi inhaled deeply, the burning pain in chest steadedly growing with each passing second. __No__ , he affirmed quietly. He wouldn't have.

Then she spoke brokenly, still heavy with unshed tears. "... I can't do this anymore, Itachi." Sakura's eyes were downcast.

 _Please look at me,_ he silently demanded. And as if she had heard him, she looked up and met his gaze. His breath hitched.

Itachi hardened his heart, "Then leave."

 _Hold on..._

She turned away, a feeble attempt to hide the turmoil that his words caused her. He was not fighting back.

Sakura sniffled as she pick up her belongings and opened the door. Itachi had to plant his legs, clenching his hands at his sides when his body and soul screamed to go after her.

 _... hold on..._

The door closed and he was alone.

 _... Hold On!_

He let go.

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 **A/N:** I wanted to try something different this time around.

This story will be a group of interconnected one-shots/drabbles. Thank you **wea** ** **selcheater,**** for being a doll and bouncing off ideas —and also for hounding me to get my shit together. Virtual coffee and cheers to you my friend!

 **(Edited: July 10th, 2017)**


	2. A closet affair

A "closet" affair

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 **Sakura, 18**

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This was so not how Sakura wanted to spend her Saturday night.

She was by no means a wallflower. In fact, she can be obnoxiously loud at times, and she liked to party and drink just as much as the rest of her friends. But when her best friend, Ino, called to invite her to on a visit to Amegakure University, taking place the weekend before finals, Sakura wished that she had had the foresight to say 'no'.

From her "understanding", they were going to take a campus tour, have a group dinner, and spend the night at a hotel and wake up early the next morning to drive back home.

No one had mentionned that they — a group of _underage_ high school kids — would be crashing a college party, hosted by the school's head fraternity no less.

In hindsight, Sakura should have suspected something was amiss when she caught the shit-eating grin on Ino's face when the blonde packed clothes that looked too risqué for a campus tour. And if that wasn't incriminating enough, Ino had also received a text from an unknown number with an address and directions to the nearest liquor store.

 _"Come on, Forehead! Aren't you at least curious about what craziness actually gors on at those parties?!"_

 _Sakura scofffed. "Do you mean to say that the college movies we've seen aren't close to the real thing?"_

 _"Oh, cut the sass! Can't you see I'm trying to fit in a few more memories with you before we go off to different schools next year?_

 _"..."_

 _"So is that a yes?" The blonde was looking at her expectantly._

 _She rolled her eyes. "Fine. It's not like I can go home without a ride anyway..."_

 _Ino_ _squealed in excitement._ _"Great! You won't regret it!"_

Precently sitting inside a dark linens closet, Sakura only sulked at the memory. _Tch_ _... Won't regret it, my ass._

All things considered, her predicament would actually make a good comedy— that is, if Sakura ever allowed her life to be turned into one.

Earlier that night, after being bombarded with leering looks and lewd commentary from 90% of the male population inside the crammed frat house, Sakura stalked towards the back of the house where the drinks were located. She had been on a mission to spend the rest of the night 'not sober', if only to forget the last vile man who had tried to make a pass at her rear. Said guy was left groaning in pain in the middle of the makeshift dance floor, after she had told him off and back kicked him in a place where the light don't shine.

Still scowling from the memory, the pinkette was on her second cup of jungle juice when she heard the heavy wailing of sirens, blaring, and getting closer. Time seemed to stop when the tell-tale glow of red-blue lights bled through the curtains covering windows, before the front door burst open and three police officers bulldozed their way in yelling, "FREEZE" and "Put your hands in the air where I can see them!"

Hell broke loose.

People crowded to the exits, stumbling through the doors three at a time.

Sakura, herself, had been about to make a break for it when she lost her balance and stumbled to the ground. Luckily (or unluckily), before she was lost in the swarm of intoxicated college students, Ino grabbed her by the scruff of her jacket, pulling her up the staircase toward the bedroom area.

" _Ino!" They were running down a hall._

 _"You can't get caught, Sakura!" In all their years of friendship, Sakura never remembered that Ino call her by her first name unless the situation was dire._

 _"What? Where are you —"_

 _"Don't you get it?! You have a scholarship! I don't. If anyone has anything to lose— it's you!" Ino shoved her through the next open door, locking it from the outside._

 _"Stay here! I'll come and get you when the coast is clear."_

 _"What! Ino! But this is a―"_

A linens closet. _Of all the places to be shoved into,_ Sakura huffed.

It seemed like forever had past (thirty seven minutes to be exact) when the commotion from downstairs died down, and still no word from Ino. Sakura kneeled by the door to take a peek through vents and found no one in the hall. She slumped back against the wall, sighing in both annoyance and relief.

 _So much for a weekend lying in bed and catching up on Netflix shows,_ she thought humorlessly. Too immersed in her mind's wandering, Sakura missed the set of barefeet that quietly padded down towards the door she was locked behind.

 _Hopefully, I can find time to study for that physics test on Monday. Mr. Ha take is going to flip if I—_

Sakura held back a gasp when light from the otherside suddenly seeped through the crack from under the door frame. She had only seconds to sit-up and brace herself as the door was clicked unlocked and slowly opened— as if the person wanted to draw out her doom.

Whatever thoughts that were racing previously disappeared when in place of a looming officer, coming to arrest her, stood a freshly showered man dressed in batman themed pajama bottoms. His hand was reaching for a towel when he paused midair. His eyes blinked once, then onyx eyes met wide jade from her perch on the floor.

Sakura forced a cheerful smile on her face, though inside she was screaming in mortification. "Hi." Sakura was impressed at how calm she sounded. _As if being caught hiding in a closet were an everyday occurrence,_ she thought sardonically.

"Hello," the batman fanboy returned silkily. With the exception of the excess blinking, the unkown male stood totally unfazed which made the pinkette wonder just how many times the man had walked in such troublesome situations.

Unsure of what else to say, Sakura looked up above her and reached for the clean, blue towel folded on of the lower shelf. She held the soft linen in her hands for a second before hesitantly holding it out to him. "Umm... Here."

Slowly, he bent down to her level and took it from her. "Thank you."

Even with the shadows covering most of his face, Sakura concluded that the man was very handsome.

There was a pregnant pause.

He coughed, shifting on the heels of his feet awkwardly.

Realizing that she had been staring, Sakura colored and blamed her embarrassment for blurting out the next statement. "I'm hiding."

His lips twitching up into faint smile.

"I've gathered that," he replied dryly.

Sakura's blush deepened further.

He replied in kind, "If it's any consolation, the police left five minutes ago along with the rest of the party attendees."

Her back straightened and Sakura's face lit up at the news. "Really?"

The man stepped away from the doorway to allow her to crawl out and stumble onto her feet.

"Are you sure they're gone?" She inquired breathlessly, looking up at him as he stood a good foot taller than her. The dark haired man inclined his head in confirmation.

"Well then, I guess I've overstayed my welcome!" Sakura smiled sheepishly. Sakura stumbled soberingly towards the stairwell, her new shadow falling into step with her.

Unnerved by the quiet, she did what was best at: friendly chatter: "So do you live here? With your friends I mean?" She assumed that he must be part of the Akatsuki fraternity, considering his damp hair and sleep wear, not to mention the glaring fact that he wasn't asked to leave the house like the others party goers.

"Unfortunately," he sighed, "Though I would use the the term 'friends' on nights like these loosely."

"Don't we all." Sakura snorted, catching the stoic man next to her off guard from the sound. Noticing his confused expression, she clarified. "My friend is actually the reason I got stuck in a closet in the first place," she looked away, a wistful smile in place as she remembered how protective Ino had been. "But she meant well."

The furrow in his brow only deepened further, "She meant well by locking you in a closet?"

Sakura rubbed the back of her reddening neck and laughed awkwardly. "It's a long story."

He noticed her expression souring, therefore asked curiously. "Did you not enjoy yourself?"

Sakura sighed, "No, it's not that. I had a good time! I'm just not a fan of socializing and putting up with misogynistic pigs disguised as men— no offense to you of course."

He only sniffed. "Hn. None taken."

Her bell like laugh stunned the man next to her. Sakura brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and held out her hand. "Sorry! I forgot to introduce myself earlier. I'm Sakura. Sakura Haruno."

He looked at her intently, making her self-conscious whether there was something on her face. She was going to ask about it when Sakura felt his large hand engulf her own, tentatively shaking it in greeting. "Itachi Uchiha. Pleasure to make your acquaintance."

The intensity behind his stare and the sincerity behind his words made her look away, another blush already forming in place of the others. But before either could say more, they heard jovial laughter and heavy feet racing up the stairs from up the hall.

"Ha! I win— oh fuck!"

Her only warning was a whoop of surprise, before a burly man with electric blue hair bulldozed his way through the stairwell, heading straight into her. Sakura sidestepped at the last minute, causing her lost her balance and topple back into Itachi. They both fell down with a grunt.

From the floor, Sakura groaned, "Ow." Sitting up, she leveled a glare at the culprit only to meet three sets of apologetic eyes staring down at her with differing levels of surprise and confusion.

"...I'm dreaming, yeah?" The male with long blonde hair falling over his right blue eye slurred out. "Or did a pink goddess just fall at my feet?" His eyes squinted a little so to get a better look at the pink haired girl, who sat obliviously on top of his rigid housemate.

Sakura's brow twitched, before intoning sweetly, "You _did not_ just use a pick up line on me."

Before she could say more, Sakura froze when she _felt_ , rather than heard, the deep rumble of disapproval and warning from the male laying forgotten under her. "Deidara."

It is then that Sakura remember _who_ had been behind her when she fell to the floor. The unfamiliar scent of pine aftershave, mixed men's cologne attacked her senses.

 _Shit._

Sakura immediately removed herself from on top of Itachi, who up to that point, had remained docile beneath her. He hid his disappointment at the loss of contact by glaring at the three men standing front of them.

Meanwhile, Sakura felt her face burning and her hands felt like they had been scalded from where she had leaned on Itachi's chest. She scooted away, the urge to put some space between them greater than the need to get off the semi-dirty floor.

"I-uh— Sorry," she blurted out, averting her eyes.

Itachi didn't say anything as he got to his feet, giving her a pleasant view of the sinewy muscles working on his lean frame. Like a gentleman, he offered her his hand. Not wanting to rebuff him after her awkward reaction, she quickly took it and let go not a moment later. If Itachi was bothered, he didn't comment.

Deidara broke the silence. "Hehe. Didn't work, huh? How about another one then, yeah?" He fixed her with what _he_ thought she thought to be a come-hither look, "Are you religious?"

Sakura lifted a questioning brow, but decided to humor him anyway. "Yes."

Deidara grinned boyishly. "Cause' baby, you must be the answer to my prayers," he winked at her for good measure, but the repugnant smell of vomit and alcohol covered his breath, making her step away recoil away in disgust.

The blonde pouted. "Huh? I thought for sure that would work, yeah," he muttered to himself, scratching the back of his head in an eccentric manner.

She get Itachi gently press a warm hand against the small of her back, leading her around his housemates and to the stairwell.

"Come. I'll help you find your friends." Itachi had leaned in so only she could hear, leading for another blush to form from the close proximity with the handsome make.

The blue haired man, who had plowed into them like bowling pins earlier, sent them both a toothy grin, "Oh look! Itachi made her blush!"

Sakura felt Itachi tense up behind her and quickly reproach his friend, "Kisame."

Kisame ignored him, breaking out into raucous laughter. He elbowed the drunk blond next to him, "Hey Dei! You must be really switching teams, if even Itachi's charm can help him get the girl before you can!" He snickered at the fuming blonde.

Sakura sent Itachi a sidelong glance, not for the first time taking note of his striking profile. When he turned to look at her, Sakura quickly whipped her gaze another direction.

"Shut up, Fish Breath!" Deidara cried out indignantly, "The Uchiha just got lucky with this one, yeah! So what if my charm didn't work on her... I know a bunch of _women_ who would die to get a piece of this!" He puffed out his chest for emphasis.

Kisame just scoffed. Next to him, the short red haired man with a perpetual bored expression in place, and who up to that point has remained quiet, tensed at the blonde's blatant declaration.

Kisame guffawed. "Maybe. But I think your charm is more compatible with someone of the more, _dominant_ sex. Ya' know― someone with broad shoulders, hair on their chests, with a huge dic—"

"I'M BISEXUAL, YEAH!" Deidara roared, "I LIKE MEN AND WOMEN. HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO EXPLAIN THIS TO YOU? SHITBAG—"

Sakura looked on in deep fascination as the two men went at it in a battle of drunken fists, not noticing that Itachi was doing the same but fixed in her direction.

 _For being drunk they sure have pretty good reflexes,_ Sakura mused as Deidara clipped Kisame under the man's jaw. But just as fast as the fight broke out, it ended quickly when the quiet redhead came out of nowhere and pulled Kisame off the blond like the brawny man weighed no more than a small sack of potatoes.

Kisame grumbled, "You're no fun, Sasori..."

Sasori ignored the blue haired make in favor of backhanding the rumpled blond behind the head. He spoke in a bored tone, "Idiots. You'll get the police called on us again."

Deidara pushed the redhead away and thundered. "OH YEAH! LET THEM COME! Let them witness the discrimination―No, the mutiny being done here! Bastards! What type of brotherhood is this shithole—", his protests died as he was silenced by a muffling hand.

Sasori turned to Sakura and Itachi with a deadpann. "Mind him. He becomes more of an imbecile after too many drinks."

In the background, Kisame rolled his eyes and walked away from Sasori's hand at damage control as Deidara's indignant cries of house mutiny continued to be heard.

Sasori looked up and sent Itachi an appraising look, eyes flickering between the two in question.

Itachi responded in kind with a glare of his own.

Sasori only smirked. Without another word, the redhead towed the emotional man down the hall, whistling and walking away to their room.

 _And then there were two,_ Sakura thought _._

"... So they're your housemates?"

"...Yes."

Sakura patted his arm in mock sympathy. Itachi's lips twitched up into a small smile.

"There have been worse moments," he shrugged as he led them down the staircase, his hand still burning an imprint on the small of her back. "You actually caught them on a good night."

Sakura laughed at the relatableness of the situation. Already used to similar predicaments due to her own friends, the pinkette shook her head in amusement. When she heard the familiar, telltale 'ding' of an incoming text, Sakura fished out for her phone inside her small purse.

 **On our way to pick you up**

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Itachi asked politely, "Would you like me to call you a cab?"

Sakura looked up from the screen and smiled apologetically. "No need! My friends just texted me. They're pulling up out front. But thank you!"

He walked her to the door. They stood there in silence, thoughts racing, before speaking up at the same time:

"Thanks again for helping me―"

"Would you like to go out for coffee—"

Sakura swallowed and her heartbeat started to beat faster, "Come again?"

Itachi gaze never wavered. "I know of this small coffee shop close to campus that I visit to study on Sundays. If you're free tomorrow, I would enjoy your company."

Gaping and before she could give an answer, the front door―which was unlocked, burst open to reveal a familiar blonde in a purple leotard and black pumps.

"Guess who outran the cops while wearing heels?" The blonde exclaimed, a huge smirk on her face.

Sakura took her friend's arrival as a blessing, "Ino!"

Remembering that she still owed the man standing next to her a response, Sakura focused on a point behind Itachi's head as she addressed him. "Thanks again for the help, Itachi! Have a goodnight!"

And she was out the door faster than light, leaving a reeling Itachi and a confused Ino standing at the door.

The blonde, who had instantly noticed the tense atmosphere room upon entering, paused to analyze the man in front of her, contemplating whether she should do something about it.

Mind made up, Ino grabbed an indignant Itachi's arm, pulling out her stick of eyeliner from mini-skirt pocket. Ignoring his quiet protests, she scribbled whatever she wanted to on back of his hand, nodding to herself when she was done. She let go of the disgruntled male and blew him a flirty kiss goodbye, runnjng off to join her friends who were waiting outside in the minivan.

Itachi followed the girl out a few seconds later, to see the van pull out the property (and most certainly not to get another look at a certain pink haired girl he tried to tell himself).

Only when the vehicle had turned the corner of his street, did Itachi read the messy scrawl written in smudged black bold charcoal.

Itachi cracked a smile.

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 **Forehead-girl ;)**

 **623-5338**

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 **A/N:** Yo. Credits to **weaselcheater** for reminding me I have a story to write, and thank you to all those who have read, reviewed, favorited, and followed this story so far. You're awesome.

 **(Edited: August 13th, 2017)**


	3. Common ground

Common ground

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 _ **Graduation Day**_

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"You better text me when you're home, Forehead!"

"I will! Take care alright."

Walking out from her friend's house with the graduation party still in full swing, Sakura closed the door behind her. She stood in front of the doorway, rummaging through her school bag for her phone. She huffed in annoyance when she couldn't find it at the top.

She caught movement in her peripheral vision, therefore looked up with an annoyed look in place. Imagine her surprise at the unexpected sight of Itachi— clad in boots and dark flannel, standing at the foot of the stairs.

The Uchiha just stared at the blue, synthetic gown, graduation cap, and honor cords hanging limply in one arm with a furrow in his brow. "Oh."

Sakura was at a loss of words. "Itachi?"

He laughed nervously, "Well, I guess this explains why I couldn't find you on campus."

Sakura gaped at him. "W-what the hell are you doing here?"

Itachi cleared his throat and looked away, the tips of his ears turning a startling shade of pink.

"Does it matter?" He mumbled, clearly embarrassed.

They stood there awkwardly, looking everywhere but each other.

Just then Sakura's phone dinged, alerting her of an incoming message. She didn't have to dig further in her bag, as she felt her phone vibrate in her back pocket. Sakura pulled it out in a huff.

 _'From: Ino-pig,'_ the screen blinked

Narrowing her eyes, Sakura tapped open the message, trepidation already forming at what she would find:

 **Surprise! Have fun with Itachi! You'll thank me later. xoxo**

Sakura swore under her breath.

Days after the whole closet fiasco, Sakura remembered explicitly telling Ino that she wasn't interested in dating anyone after the blonde causally brought up Itachi in conversation one day. Apparently, Ino had ignored her and had contacted Itachi anyways, leading the poor guy on.

Feeling the beginning of a nasty migraine forming, no thanks to her meddlesome friend, Sakura suppressed a groan. She tucked her phone into her back pocket, stomped down the last three steps, and walked in the direction of the nearest bus stop. She wasn't even a house away when his voice called out after her.

"Would you like a ride home?"

Sakura turned, sending the man a scathing look, even though her ire was clearly not directed at him.

Itachi stood unfazed with new determination in his eyes as he gestured to the too-old-to-be-new mustang parked on the curb. His lips turned up into a friendly smile.

Her eyes narrowed. "No." And continued walking.

Itachi tried again, "Do not blame your friend. She had only your best interests in mind."

Sakura stopped again, this time, turning heel and stomping towards his direction. She stood just a meter away and glared at him, "And pray tell, just _what_ interests are those, if I may ask?"

Not intimidated by her accusing tone, Itachi offered civilly, "I'll share them with you during the ride back."

Without even waiting for an answer, he turned and started to the driver's side of his car. Halfway there, he looked over his shoulder to check if she followed.

She didn't. But before he could say a word, Ino, who had been watching the interaction from afar, poked her head out from a second story window and waved obnoxiously at the awkward pair below.

"HI, ITACHI!"

Sakura, upon noticing her friend's state of dress (or lack of) in a bikini top (probably to use the pool out back), hid her face behind her hands in mortification. She gave in and walked to the passenger's side of the old mustang. "Let's go."

Itachi smiled kindly at Ino and waved. A moment later he was seated in his seat, "She's is very fond of me," he commented once inside.

Sakura scowled and strapped the seat belt around her. "Yeah, maybe a bit _too_ much…"

She took in the vintage interior of refurbished vehicle. She touched the warm leather on the dashboard, her hands brushing the out-of-place, modern day radio system installed into it. _Where on earth did he dig this thing up_ , Sakura wondered aloud.

Remembering who's car it belonged to and the situation he had put her in, Sakura whipped around to the driver's side and gave Itachi her best glare. "Let's get two things straight here. _We_ are not friends." She said this while pointing a finger between them. "Secondly, I have no intention of seeing anyone right now. So whatever plan that Ino put you to, please stop. You look a great guy, but I'm just not interested."

Itachi looked thoughtful, no doubt letting the words sink in, before replying in kind. "Not yet."

When Itachi noticed the scandalous look on her face, he quickly explained himself. "What I mean is that you're right. We're not friends. However, I would like to change that."

Sakura blinked at him incredulously, " _Why_?"

She watched him fiddle absently with the knobs of the radio until he found a station suitable to his tastes. They said nothing as he pulled off the curb into the low-traffic streets, but after a few minutes of driving he replied. "Why not? Everyone could use another friend."

Sakura stared out the window, watching the cars and houses fly by as Itachi's car sped past them. Finally, she said. "I will think about it."

He nodded. "Of course." His eyes glinted with mischief. "We can discuss this over lunch if you like. How does Friday afternoon sound?"

Sakura whipped around, just as he pulled up in front of her family home. At her confused stare, most likely wondering how he knew where she lived. Itachi answered sheepishly. "Ino."

Sakura snorted, not surprised that the blonde would stoop so low as to give her personal information to a stranger.

Itachi just watched her reaction in amusement. Finally, he asked again. "Will Friday work for you?

Sakura's eyes narrowed as she answered. "It's not a date."

 _It wasn't an outright rejection_ , they both thought quietly.

Just then a new song started to play, and Sakura quickly recognized the first chords of the opening.

"Is this 'Piano Man'?"

Itachi's eyes flashed momentarily in surprise, "You like Billy Joel?"

Sakura nodded. "I grew up listening to his music since before I could even walk. I own all of his records." She looked away, an almost wistful expression taking form on her face. She murmured quietly. "... There's one song that my mom used to sing to me every night before bedtime."

"Do you know the name of it?"

"Lullabye."

After the song, he skipped over said track as he caught onto her mood.

They sat without talking until the final notes of the song finished.

"Well, I don't want to keep you from celebrating today with your family."

Sakura tensed and blinked, realizing that they've been sitting in his car for the last five minutes.

"Enjoy the rest of your evening." He spoke. "I'll see you Friday, Sakura." He flashed her a crooked smile, one that had her traitorous heart running a marathon. Sakura ignored the implications of said reaction.

Sakura stepped out, managed to muster up a half sincere 'have a good day' of her own, and stalked up the steps of her home. It was only after she slipped inside the quiet sanctum of her home, behind closed doors, that Sakura rubbed a tired hand down her face. She slid to the floor and leaned against the door for support.

 _What have I gotten myself into?_

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 **A/N:** Thanks a bunch to **weaselcheater** , for helping me along with this chapter. Enjoy the new year everyone!

 **(Edited 01/07/2018)**


	4. 12:07AM

**12:07 AM**

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" _Sakura_."

Sakura groaned, "...Five more minutes."

Itachi chuckled, "You asked for five minutes, ten minutes ago."

Tired green eyes blinked awake, pouting at her boyfriend sitting across from her. She whined, "What 'Tachi?"

"Do you wish to continue?" He held up her notebook, reminding her that she had been studying for an accumulative final that starts in a few hours.

Sakura groaned in dismay but nodded, stretching from within the warm cocoon she had formed from the confines of her oversized moon chair. She jumped when she heard paper crushing under her foot, but relaxed after noticing that it was just a wrapper from the burger she had eaten earlier.

Itachi— ever the spoiling boyfriend he is— had driven them to a twenty-four hour fast food restaurant, upon her announcement that she was starving. On top of their two meals, she bullied him into buying an order of chicken sticks, another large order of fries, and an ice cream sundae.

Being careful of the leftovers that lay scattered on the floor and coffee table, Sakura sat up and wiped her face, as if to get rid of the sleep from her eyes, "Yeah, just a little longer, if that's okay with you."

Itachi nodded, "Define schemas."

Sakura scratched her head, "They are... the basic building blocks of learning." She tried but failed to suppress a yawn.

"Correct." Itachi was all business as he flipped over to the next page of her notes, "What are Piaget's stages of cognitive development?"

"Sensorimotor… preoperational… concrete operational and…" she blinked when the answer didn't come to her right away. She straightened in her chair and bit her lip, "Umm… formal operational? There's four right?"

Sakura silently watched as he shuffled her notes around, looking for the right page, "Correct."

She reclined back into her seat and scoffed, "Of course I'm right," then opened her mouth, looking at him expectantly. "Frie me!"

Itachi shook his head in exasperation, but did as he was told. He kneeled from his perch on the rug covered floor, reaching for the cooling carton of fries that sat idly on the coffee table. He sat back down and easily slipped a few pieces into his girlfriend's― who had relocated on the floor to sit next to him― awaiting mouth.

But as she started to chew, Sakura's face contorted in a look of pure disgust. The pinkette quickly reached for a napkin, spitting out the contents of her mouth, "Eww!"

Itachi sent her an amused look, "You should have eaten them before they went cold."

Moments later, after she stopped coughing and recovered from the attack on her taste buds, Itachi felt Sakura poke him in the knee with her toe. At first he ignored it in favor of perusing her notes, but after a minute and the poking persisted, Itachi looked up and leveled her with a hard stare. He froze at the sight.

Her eyes were huge, showing off the variances of green within them. Sakura's hair was is in a disarray, pulling off the 'bed head' look without detracting from her natural allure. And if that wasn't enough, Sakura's pink lips were puckered into an adorable little pout —a look that Itachi knew would become his undoing when she asked in a sweet tone, "Can you heat them up for me, Itachi? _Pleasee_."

The dark haired man sighed as he stood up from his seat on the carpeted floor ("You're the best boyfriend ever!") and made the five minute journey to the residence hall's kitchen area, all the while grumbling about the rule of no kitchen appliances in the dorms.

Fifteen minutes later, he returned to Sakura's room, armed with a plate of hot fries and ketchup (in case she asked for that too) only for his annoyed gaze to soften when it fell upon the sleeping form of Sakura, still curled up in her chair.

Itachi set the cooling plate down on the coffee table, then padded across the room over to his girlfriend's side. He put her books away and rearranged the pillows and sheets on her bed. Without waking her, he picked her up gently as if he was handling a small child and set her down on her own bed. Just as he was about to reach over to the nightstand to turn off the lamp and leave, he felt Sakura's arm latch onto him and pull him down. Itachi fell onto the twin sized bed with a grunt, momentarily having the air knocked out of him.

Once he was situated under the duvet, Sakura rolled onto her side and wrapped a slender arm around him. Itachi unconsciously pulled her closer.

"Goodnight, Itachi..." Sakura murmured sleepily.

Itachi hummed in contentment. The comforting sound of her quiet breathing, lulling him towards sleep.

He drifted off.

* * *

 **AN: Happy 2018 ya'll.**


End file.
